New York State Teachers Retirement System Cuts Stock Position in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Key Points

• New York State Teachers Retirement System reduced its stake by 8.9% in Wells Fargo during Q4, selling 243,629 shares and now holding 2,480,336 shares (about 0.08% of the company) valued at roughly $231.17 million.
• Insiders sold 115,000 shares over the past 90 days — including EVP Kleber Santos (25,000) and EVP Ellen R. Patterson (60,000) — trimming insider ownership to about 0.14%.
• Wells Fargo posted a slight EPS beat ($1.60 vs. $1.58), announced a $0.45 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.80, ~2.2% yield), and carries an average analyst target of $97.75 (consensus "Moderate Buy").

New York State Teachers Retirement System lessened its stake in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 8.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,480,336 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 243,629 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.08% of Wells Fargo & Company worth $231,167,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 4,514 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $421,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 12,048 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,123,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Main Street Group LTD lifted its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 36.9% during the third quarter. Main Street Group LTD now owns 438 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. D Orazio & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 3.6% during the third quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 3,436 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. Finally, Stonebrook Private Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 2.7% during the third quarter. Stonebrook Private Inc. now owns 4,511 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $378,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.72, for a total value of $2,193,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 79,876 shares in the company, valued at $7,006,722.72. This trade represents a 23.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.40, for a total value of $5,244,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 169,496 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,813,950.40. This represents a 26.14% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 115,000 shares of company stock worth $10,050,000 over the last 90 days. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on WFC shares. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $94.00 price target (down from $100.00) on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Thursday, March 26th. They set a "buy" rating and a $100.00 price target for the company. Argus increased their price target on Wells Fargo & Company from $94.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Wells Fargo & Company from $99.50 to $91.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $109.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $97.75.

Trending Headlines about Wells Fargo & Company

Here are the key news stories impacting Wells Fargo & Company this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share (annualized yield ~2.2%), payable June 1, with an ex‑dividend date of May 8 — supports income investors and signals capital return discipline. Wells Fargo Announces Common Stock Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: WSJ reports Wells Fargo is moving ahead with a long‑anticipated expansion into Wall Street trading after relief from a regulatory cap — potential revenue diversification and higher fee/trading income over time, though this raises execution and capital usage questions. Wells Fargo's Long‑Anticipated Wall Street Expansion Is Here
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo is partnering with Mastercard on B2B card initiatives to reduce friction in commercial payments — could expand fee income and card volumes in a higher‑margin products area if adoption scales. Mastercard and Wells Fargo Target the Friction Slowing B2B Cards
• Positive Sentiment: Product update — Wells Fargo added Cathay Pacific as a new rewards points transfer partner, a modest consumer product win that can help card engagement and rewards-driven spend. Wells Fargo Adds Cathay Pacific as New Rewards Points Transfer Partner
• Positive Sentiment: Latest quarter: WFC posted $1.60 EPS, a slight beat vs. consensus and year‑over‑year EPS growth; revenue rose ~6.4% YoY — supports the near‑term earnings outlook and underpins analyst forecasts for ~6.82 FY EPS (consensus). (Company earnings release referenced in background filings.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/analysis pieces are mixed — some outlets flag stretched near‑term valuation given net interest income (NII) pressures, while other banks still list WFC among preferred regional bank names — this creates offsetting analyst narratives that can mute big directional moves. Wells Fargo Valuation Check
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s own card‑spending data shows “spending fatigue” — daily credit/debit usage excluding gas is nearly flat YoY, signaling softer consumer activity that could weigh on card fees, interchange revenues and loan growth. 'Spending Fatigue' Appears in Debit, Credit Card Data
• Negative Sentiment: Critical takes/“avoid” pieces highlight recent softer results and the stock’s underperformance vs. peers — such commentary can pressure sentiment and lead some funds to trim exposure. 3 Reasons to Avoid WFC

Wells Fargo & Company Price Performance

NYSE:WFC traded up $0.52 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $82.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,647,960 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,128,668. The business's 50-day moving average is $80.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $86.17. The company has a market capitalization of $253.11 billion, a PE ratio of 12.67, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90. Wells Fargo & Company has a 52-week low of $70.43 and a 52-week high of $97.76.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $11.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.85 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 17.26%.Wells Fargo & Company's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.39 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Wells Fargo & Company will post 6.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Wells Fargo & Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.78%.

Wells Fargo & Company Company Profile

Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified, U.S.-based financial services company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1852 by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo, the firm has evolved from its origins in express delivery and pioneer-era banking into one of the largest full-service banks in the United States. The company provides a broad range of financial products and services to individual, small business, commercial, and institutional clients. Charles W. Scharf serves as chief executive officer.

Wells Fargo operates across several core business segments, including consumer banking and lending, commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, and wealth and investment management.

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